This handout photo taken on January 19, 2013 and released on January 20, 2013 by the Philippine Western Command (WESCOM) shows an aerial shot of US Navy minesweeper, the USS Guardian, as it remains trapped on the Tubbataha reef after it ran aground on the western Philippine island of Palawan. AFP FILE PHOTO

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Four officers of a U.S. Navy minesweeper that ran aground on coral reef in the Philippines are being relieved of their duties.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement Wednesday that initial findings indicate all four sailors failed to adhere to standard navigation procedures at the time of the Jan. 17 grounding of the Guardian.

The sailors are the commanding officer, the executive officer and navigator, the assistant navigator and the officer of the deck. They’ve been reassigned.

Workers recently finished dismantling and removing the minesweeper from Tubbataha National Marine Park.

The park’s superintendent has said the grounding damaged about 4,000 square meters, or nearly 5,000 square yards, of reef.

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chinese ship who destroyed half of lagunais protected reef at talisay cebu was allowed to sail off when the captain paid a 5000 piso fine so why arent you crying about that one comrade. it did more damage than the minesweeper. it hardly made the papers and no one picketed the chinese embassy comrade

kanoy

FILIPINO LAWS ARE A MYTH

BIGButo

calm down crazy man you sound like you have lost your mind.

pepito gwaps

Dollars can talk.

Jane Tan

Lol… reassigned to another ship that will eventually hit the reef again

dani77777

What else is there, there’s no more ship to command.

$18209031

We dont know who these navy officers so they are scathe free. They refused to reveal who they are and thus they can roam freely in the Philippines oblivious to the destruction they committed . This is a shame and insult.
RP must demand who these people are who carried out this mishap as part of the reparations on our national treasure. By doing so, we can bar these idiots from even traveling to and fro in RP territory. Blacklist their names .Stupidity and arrogance must not go unpunished.

Nestor Moog

The case against these officers accused of culpability in the Guardian’s grounding is serious. The US Navy considers “hazarding …” a very serious matter. Article 110 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice stipulates, among others, “(a) Any person subject to this chapter who willfully and wrongfully hazards or suffers to be hazarded any vessel of the armed forces shall suffer death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.

(b) Any person subject to this chapter who negligently hazards or suffers to be hazarded any vessel of the armed forces shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.” At the very least, these officers so accused now have their careers effectively ended.

Nestor Moog

Lt. Cmdr. Mark Rice, executive officer Daniel Tyler, the ship’s enlisted assistant navigator and the officer of the deck at the time of the ship’s grounding were all relieved because they “did not adhere to the standard navy navigation procedures,” Expeditionary Strike Group Seven spokesman Lt. Brian Wierzbicki said.